Brief thoughts on Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle.

If anyone had the right or experience to make a great motion-capture film, it was Andy Serkis. Having spent extensive time perfecting the performance art with Gollum and Caesar, and studying under a filmmaking titan like Peter Jackson, it seemed only ideal. Now on Netflix, we have his second directorial feature (actually his first as well), Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle, a retelling of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, wherein he surrounds himself with an army of effects artists and talented craftsman bringing this world to life. That said, it's something of a half-life at that.

Bumblebee movie review.

Hasbro's Transformers toys are among the most popular and enduring of brand names, widely loved for their unique shapeshifting nature, and lucrative from a marketing standpoint. Unfortunately, they've become somewhat infamous in recent years, specifically for inspiring Michael Bay's continually dwindling franchise, that continues to sink lower into false-grittiness, detestable human characters, and a general incompetence in filmmaking. But in hindsight, another great failing is that with each passing entry, it gets further away from the audience it was always meant to cater to; kids.

With each entry, they've become more cynical and mean-spirited, losing the lightness that the toys, as well as the TV shows inspired in their wake, had always brought out in those who played with them. And following Bay's exit from the franchise, we now have a prequel entry - and soft reboot - that attempts to return the series to its roots, by exploring one of its most enduring characters, Bumblebee. And while it may have its own little stumbles along the way, I... actually didn't hate this movie. Bumblebee is such a pleasant surprise, and a richly needed rebirth for this series.

Ralph Breaks the Internet movie review.

Come sprinting out the gate some time into the Disney Revival, Wreck-It-Ralph quickly became one of the most fondly regarded Disney films of the modern age, mainly for its hooking premise of a video game world come to life, a Pixar inspiration that was by no means accidental. While I liked the film, and acknowledge it as good, I was always of the apathetic mind to consider it overrated, mainly for squandering its original premise on a thoroughly predictable story.

But successful it was, and only less than four years later, director Rich Moore would go on to greater success with the smash hit Zootopia, as well as announcing an upcoming sequel to his inaugural Disney outing. I myself was cautiously optimistic, given there was a lot of room for it to keep exploring, but dreading a potential decline in quality. But thankfully I can report that it didn't come to that. While some may debate if Ralph Breaks the Internet was a better film, I certainly enjoyed it more than its predecessor.

Beautiful Boy, Bohemian Rhapsody, Can You Ever Forgive Me?

As the Oscar season goes into full swing, I decided to finally lend my attention to some of the potential heavyweights and contenders that’ll come into play this season. Thanks to my AMC Stubs A-List subscription (no, this isn’t sponsored),  I was able to take three of the acting hopefuls out in one feel swoop. All of them offered something of value, some more than others, but all of them making great use of their onscreen talent. Let’s have a look…

The Grinch movie review.

My apologies. I originally had something longer in mind for this review, but having lost all of my original text, I’ve decided to offer my thoughts in truncated form.

Since it’s publication in 1957, How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss has been an enduring holiday classic. Finding appeal both in adults and children, the book’s enormous popularity was solidified further in 1966, with the Chuck Jones directed animated special with Boris Karloff. Then in 2000, Ron Howard would make a live action take starring Jim Carrey in the title role. Feeling like an amalgamation of both prior versions before it, this third take from Illumination Entertainment, the creators of The Secret Life of Pets and Despicable Me, attempts to add new to the story, only barely scraping that goal with a 39 and a half foot pole.

First Man movie review.

Given our many differences and political walls, especially in the modern age we live in, it's easy for us as a people to become cynical and get lost in the shuffle of constant bickering and political biases. But if there's one thing any of us can come together for, it's when witnessing history in the making, of a truly spectacular and transcendental event forever changing the world we know, and that hopefully this change will inspire and unite us for ages to come.

Such was an extraordinary event when the crew of Apollo 11, captained by astronaut Neil Armstrong, successfully landed on the moon and returned safely to earth. Punctuated by Armstrong's powerful declaration "it's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," the image of Armstrong's first step on the moon's surface has become ingrained not only in American culture, but in world history, becoming an iconic and inspirational staple of the wonder man can achieve. In his follow-up to La La Land, director Damien Chazelle reteams with actor Ryan Gosling to bring Armstrong's great achievement to life, in the fittingly excellent First Man.

A Star is Born movie review.

"Remake" is seen as something of a dirty word, often in the context of thoroughly unnecessary cash-ins that only clog the continually unoriginal Hollywood system even more, putting their effort into an idea that most likely has its definitive representation, and in that case what can you really hope to top. And to be fair, remakes like Point Break certainly validate this apathy towards them, but it can also yield better efforts like The Fly. And even if those the likes of A Star is Born, itself a product of three remakes, doesn't necessarily top its earliest predecessor, the template of what that film deals with is still versatile enough to justify different interpretations.

So coming into this new version of A Star is Born, marking Bradley Cooper's directorial debut, I found myself in an interesting position. I have to admit I've not seen prior interpretations to this story. I came into it fresh, so in essence, this new version was tailor made for people like me. And I think this film proves that not only can such a story still hold relevance from decades ago, but detached from its source, it can stand and endure superbly on its own. A Star is Born is fantastic!